Players to sign pay contract before Aussie tourMumbai, October 21The Indian Test players will have to sign the three-tier gradation payment contract before they embark on the 82-day tour of Australia beginning on November 21, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) source said here today.

Bichel looks to Sachin challengeSydney, October 21Indian batting champion Sachin Tendulkar will be one of the biggest challenges that Australia’s new bowling spearhead Andy Bichel will confront on his team’s cricket tour of the subcontinent.

BCCI to pay for Ganguly’s treatmentKolkata, October 21BCCI President Jagmohan Dalmiya today said the Board of Control for Cricket in India would bear all expenses of Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly’s treatment, who was currently recuperating from a double surgery on an
abscess on his upper left leg.

Tuffy a revelation in seriesThe second Test belonged to New Zealand bowlers. After their batsmen occupied the crease for almost half the match, the bowlers built up on the advantage putting pressure on the Indian batsmen throughout with accurate bowling, led by Daryl Tuffy and Daniel Vettori.

Pak beat S. Africa by 8 wktsLahore, October 21Pakistan took just 41 balls to complete an eight-wicket victory over South Africa in the first Test today, their first ever home Test win over the South Africans.
Pakistan resumed on 137 for one, requiring 24 more runs for victory, and needed only 24 minutes to get them as they finished on 164 for two.

Dhaka, October 21English paceman Stephen Harmison took two quick wickets as Bangladesh struggled on a rain-hit opening day of their first-ever Test against England here today.
Harmison surprised the batsmen with both pace and bounce as the home side was reduced to 24 for two in the 64 minutes of play at the Bangabandhu National Stadium.

Hyderabad, October 21Heaving a sigh of relief following the arrival of a 314-member strong contingent from Africa, including top athletes, Indian Olympic Association president Suresh Kalmadi today asserted that the first Afro-Asian Games
(AAG) would prove to be a strong stage for top contest.

African players arrive at the Hyderabad airport on Monday for the Afro-Asian Games. — PTI In video: (28k,
56k)

Pak hockey team reaches HyderabadHyderabad, October 21The much-awaited Pakistan hockey squad arrived in the city this afternoon, for the first Afro-Asian Games
(AAG) to be held here from October 24 to November 1. Besides Pakistan, the other teams to arrive today were: Ghana, South Africa, Egypt and Zimbabwe.
In video: Indian hockey team arrives in Hyderabad. (28k,
56k)

Punjab clinch handball titleJalandhar, October 21A brilliant show of tactical brilliance by the experienced Punjab eves enabled them to subdue Delhi 41-26 and clinch the handball title on the penultimate day of the 29th National Women’s Sports Festival held at the Olympian Surjit Singh Stadium here today.

Mumbai, October 21
The Indian Test players will have to sign the three-tier gradation payment contract before they embark on the 82-day tour of Australia beginning on November 21, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) source said here today.

Indian team’s representatives Sachin Tendulkar, skipper Sourav Ganguly, vice-captain Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble had recently agreed to the three-tier gradation of payment to players when they met cricket board President Jagmohan Dalmiya at Delhi last month, according to the source.

The players selected for the tour will have to sign the contract before the team leaves for Australia, he said.

“The senior cricketers had agreed to the three-tier gradation with a base retainership fee of Rs 60 lakh per annum for Grade-A players, Rs 30 lakh for Grade-B players and Rs 15 lakh for Grade-C players, who should figure in at least two Tests or seven one-day internationals. The retainership fee will be part of the players’ pool (26 per cent of BBCI’s gross earnings), the source added.

“Around 20 cricketers are likely to get individual contracts from the BCCI and the board may have to dig into its coffers to pay the players extra expenditure should the quantum of retainership and match fee together exceed the 13 per cent allotted for international cricket,” he said.

According to a BCCI announcement recently, 26 per cent of its total earnings would go towards the players’ pool, the break-up being 13 per cent for international cricket, 10.6 for domestic cricket and 2.4 per cent for junior players.

Apart from the gradation, the fee for a player selected to play in the eleven in a Test match would be around Rs 2 lakh and for a one-day international it will be Rs 1.60 lakh while all the reserve players will receive half the sum (Rs 1 lakh for Test and Rs 80,000 for one-dayer).
— PTI

Sydney, October 21
Indian batting champion Sachin Tendulkar will be one of the biggest challenges that Australia’s new bowling spearhead Andy Bichel will confront on his team’s cricket tour of the subcontinent.

Australia leave here tomorrow for a four-week limited overs tournament against India and New Zealand, and with Australia’s bowling stocks drastically depleted by injury, Bichel takes over as the team’s leading paceman.

The big-hearted Queenslander said it would be a big challenge as he had never toured India and had bowled just once to Tendulkar for his state several seasons ago.

“That’s the toughest challenge,” Bichel said today about bowling to Tendulkar on his fancied batting surfaces.

“We’ve got to play Sachin (in Tests) out here this summer coming up, so it would be nice to get some wood on him on his own turf just coming into the Australian summer,” Bichel said.

“So we’re going to be right on our game and try not to give him some momentum coming into this summer.”

Bichel carried a massive workload in the two Tests against Zimbabwe after Jason Gillespie, Stuart MacGill (both in Perth) and Brett Lee (in Sydney) broke down.

The extra pressure meant Bichel suffered an infected big toe on his left foot, the result of sending down 92 overs in two Tests. “It’s just part of being a fast bowler, you generally go through one a year and I’m just going through it at the moment,” he said.

Australia’s injuries mean Bichel and Queensland team-mate Michael Kasprowicz could take the new ball in their first match, a day-night clash against India in Gwalior on Sunday. “The guys have been there, they’ve done it and it’s going to be a good test for us, but no doubt we are underdogs coming into this,” he said.

The tour will also be a good test for Australian opener Matthew Hayden, who this week said he was keen to get back to the Indian wickets where he cemented his place in the side two years ago.

Hayden hit 514 runs in three Tests in the 2001 series and has not looked back, moving into the elite category of Tendulkar and West Indian Brian Lara.

Australia play six pool games, with the final to be played in Kolkata on November 18.

Kolkata, October 21
BCCI President Jagmohan Dalmiya today said the Board of Control for Cricket in India would bear all expenses of Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly’s treatment, who was currently recuperating from a double surgery on an
abscess on his upper left leg.

The Indian skipper had been admitted to the Belle Vue Clinic three days back on his return from Mohali and underwent a second surgery on his upper left thigh after the wound from the
carbuncle did not heal even after surgery.

Mr Dalmiya said here, “The board will bear all the expenses for Ganguly’s treatment till he recovers completely. Money won’t be and should not be a problem for the best treatment given to the Indian skipper.”

“If necessary, we will get specialists from outside on the advice of the doctors attending him and in consultation with Ganguly,” Mr Dalmiya said.

Meanwhile, doctors attending on Ganguly said his wound was improving satisfactorily.

The second Test belonged to New Zealand bowlers. After their batsmen occupied the crease for almost half the match, the bowlers built up on the advantage putting pressure on the Indian batsmen throughout with accurate bowling, led by Daryl Tuffy and Daniel Vettori.

Tuffy has been a revelation in the two Test matches. Although not known for genuine pace as Shane Bond is, he

demonstrated how a good line and length — corridor bowling — can play a major role even on placid and docile wickets. He kept the basics simple by not trying for pace but to rely on nagging line around the off-stump and bank on the subtle movement off the pitch. Accuracy was the key to his success.

As for Vettori, well, he is currently the best left-arm spinner in the world. He relished bowling on Indian surfaces though his figures do not quite reflect his control. And if

you thought Vettori was the bowler of the series, don’t forget he saved the match for New Zealand with bat in Motera! If India could have forced the follow-on in Ahmedabad, the Test could’ve been as good as over.

Indeed talking of the follow-on, I can see the logic of Stephen Fleming carrying on his first innings on the third morning. In Ahmedabad, Ganguly was justified in declaring at 500 for 5 because he was the home captain and he had the bowlers who knew the conditions like the back of their hands. In Mohali, Fleming had his own reasons because a touring captain would like to completely make sure he is in a position to enforce the follow-on. Against batsmen at home in familiar conditions, a touring team needs extra cushion of runs. It nearly worked for Fleming and the game was alive till the final session.

I have no doubt though if India had won the toss in Mohali, they would’ve ended as winners. The wicket was perfect for batting on the first two days. I know there has been loads of criticism against Indians for batting too slowly on the fourth day but look at it this way — India had lost both Virender Sehwag and Rahul Dravid within a few overs on the fourth morning. The hosts couldn’t have afforded another setback at that stage and it explains why Indians were so cautious.

The New Zealand batsmen adapted to the conditions very quickly with the help of some really batsmen-friendly pitches. Our ground curators contributed a great deal in their success.

Lou Vincent and Mark Richardson made the best use of the wicket and gave a solid base for the ever-improving Scott Styris to come and pitch in with his contribution. Craig McMillan, one of the few who has played Shane Warne with consummate ease, did exhibit his prowess and was aggressive on Indian bowlers.

I thought Zaheer and Laxmipathy Balaji tried too hard for the initial breakthrough and drifted from the basics. They did spray a lot which helped New Zealanders to capitalise. There was so little purchase for the spinners on the first two days that Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh had to toil real hard. I am sure the Indian spinners wouldn’t have great memories of this Test match.

The Indian batting slipped into extra gear almost immediately but the pressure of the mammoth total did tell upon them in the end. Sehwag played a gem of a knock and his partner, the young Aakash Chopra, again proved he is here to stay for long. Sachin Tendulkar didn’t leave any impact in this series and would sure like to make amends in the triangular series.

VVS Laxman was regal during his first innings hundred and when he is in such form, the memories of his Kolkata knock against the Australians is refreshed over and over again. He stood firm to save the match for India in both the innings.

The amount of runs scored in the last two Test matches suggest the attempt made a couple of years ago by the apex body of Indian cricket to upgrade the wickets by relaying it has proved futile. Good sporting wicket is important to retain interest in Test cricket. Slow and docile wickets like Motera and Mohali can reduce further the already dwindling crowd for Tests.
— PTI

Lahore, October 21
Pakistan took just 41 balls to complete an eight-wicket victory over South Africa in the first Test today, their first ever home Test win over the South Africans.
Pakistan resumed on 137 for one, requiring 24 more runs for victory, and needed only 24 minutes to get them as they finished on 164 for two.

Shoaib Malik hit South Africa captain Graeme Smith to the mid-wicket boundary for the winning runs.

Taufeeq Umar was the only wicket to fall on the final day, the opener completing a fine match in his comeback following a knee injury.

Umar, declared joint man-of-the-match with spinner Danish Kaneria, followed up his 111 in the first innings with a powerful 63 off 114 balls, including nine fours.

The left-hander was unlucky to be bowled by a ball from spinner Paul Adams, who conceded 57 runs from 11 overs.

Pakistan’s only other Test win over South Africa was in 1998 in Durban when fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar took five wickets.

For South Africa it was their second successive Test defeat after losing to England at the Oval in September to allow the hosts to draw the series 2-2.

The foundation for Pakistan’s victory was laid on the fourth day when Akhtar and Kaneria wrecked South Africa’s batting.

Taufeeq and Imran Farhat (58) then added a quickfire 134, setting a new record by posting their second century stand of the match, the first time in 296 tests that Pakistan enjoyed century opening partnerships in both innings.

Smith said his team had under-performed.

‘’We let ourselves down,’’ he said. ‘’We didn’t bowl well. We need to regroup now to square this series.

‘’I think the fourth morning was a crunch session for us and we gave it away to Pakistan and came under pressure.’’

Pakistan’s stand-in skipper Yousuf Youhana said the youngsters had lifted the team.

‘’Although there were great performances from Shoaib Akhtar, Danish Kaneria, Taufiq Umar and Shoaib Malik, it was a totally team effort from us,’’ he said. ‘’I think we played better on this wicket.’’

Umar said he had enjoyed batting on a good wicket.

‘’It was a pressure match for me since I was coming back after a injury. But I enjoyed batting with Imran Farhat,’’ he said. ‘’Our bowlers did a wonderful job on this wicket and laid the foundation for victory.’’

South Africa made 320 in their first innings and 241 in the second. Pakistan scored 401 in their first innings.

Dhaka, October 21
English paceman Stephen Harmison took two quick wickets as Bangladesh struggled on a rain-hit opening day of their first-ever Test against England here today.

Harmison surprised the batsmen with both pace and bounce as the home side was reduced to 24 for two in the 64 minutes of play at the Bangabandhu National Stadium.

Electing to bat, Bangladesh saw off the first four overs early in the morning without any loss, but were pushed back on resumption after more than two sessions were lost due to wet ground conditions.

Opener Javed Omar (three) was beaten by bounce and prolific batsman Habibul Bashar (two) by pace as Bangladesh stuttered in their effort to cope with rising expectations after a recent spirited display in Pakistan.

Hyderabad, October 21
Heaving a sigh of relief following the arrival of a 314-member strong contingent from Africa, including top athletes, Indian Olympic Association president Suresh Kalmadi today asserted that the first Afro-Asian Games (AAG) would prove to be a strong stage for top contest.

Addressing a joint Press conference along with International Olympic Committee member from Ivory Coast General Lassana Palenfo here, he said the contingent arrived here yesterday by a chartered flight and another was expected to land here tomorrow.

Stating that boxing and athletics would be the key feature of the Games, he said 38 medallists from the African Games in Abuja would fight it out in the boxing event.

“Only two of the 38 pugilists were bronze medallists,” he said. Also, 170 athletes, including 80 Asian Games and Asian Championships medallists had confirmed their participation.

The Indian contingent would be lead by World Championship long jump medal winner Anju George, Saraswati Saha, Bobby Alociyus, Sunita Rani and Neelam J. Singh.

The participation of middle-distance runner K.M. Beenamol was still uncertain though she had recovered from an injury.

Indian men would be led by discuss thrower Anil Kumar and Sakti Singh, he added.

General Palenfo said four best athletes from each discipline in the African Games had been selected for the first AAG.

“Though Olympic gold medal winner Cameroon had pulled out to of the AAG to participate in the African Championship Football, we are trying to rope in African number 2 Nigeria or number 3 Ghana,” he disclosed.

However, six football teams (three each from the two continents) have arrived.

Other top athletes who have arrived include, South African sprinter Ingrid Haiden, winner of four gold medals in Abuja and Egypt’s Omar El Ghazly (discus throw).

Mr Kalmadi also announced the arrival of hockey teams from Pakistan and Korea, even as the Malaysian team is expected in the evening.

The women’s hockey teams from South Africa and Korea have also touched down here.

African Boxing Federation secretary-general Emmanuel Edoueyene expressed the hope that the first Afro-Asian Games would usher in stronger cooperation between the nations of the two continents.

Recalling that the Afro-Asian political movement was launched in 1955, he said the AAG would definitely lead to more happier occasions.
— UNI

Hyderabad, October 21
The much-awaited Pakistan hockey squad arrived in the city this afternoon, for the first Afro-Asian Games (AAG) to be held here from
October 24 to November 1.
Besides Pakistan, the other teams to arrive today were: Ghana, South Africa, Egypt and Zimbabwe.

The Indian team, winners of the recent Asia Cup, clubbed with their rivals across the borders in group B, are expected to reach here by this evening, along with Korea and Malaysia.

Meanwhile, the organizers have cancelled football matches at the GMC Balayogi Athletic stadium where the inaugural and closing ceremonies, besides athletics will take place. Now all the matches, except four, will be held at the Lal Bahadur stadium.

The Gosha Mahal stadium will play host to four soccer matches, which include the India vs Ghana contest on October 26.

The football event, which was scheduled to kick off today was postponed by a day in the light of Rwanda’s failure to reach the city in time. The match was scheduled for tomorrow and the officials heaved a sigh of relief with the Rwandan squad arriving in the city this morning.

The India-Rwanda match will now take place at Lal Bahadur Stadium tomorrow at 3 pm, according to the revised schedule. —
UNI

Jalandhar, October 21
A brilliant show of tactical brilliance by the experienced Punjab eves enabled them to subdue Delhi 41-26 and clinch the handball title on the penultimate day of the 29th National Women’s Sports Festival held at the Olympian Surjit Singh Stadium here today.

After having successfully extended their lease on the title, which they won in the 2002 edition of the games held at Pondicherry, the hosts are now focusing their energies on the hockey title.

And going by the punch and proficiency they displayed in all their three league matches, Punjab may well be on their way to victory. However, the hosts, playing in their own backyard, had to face some embarrassment in lawn tennis where they failed to finish even among the top four teams.

In the handball summit clash, the hosts proved to be more mobile and methodical as unit and they seldom allowed their rivals enough elbow room to thread their moves.

Both skipper Gurpreet Purewal and playmaker Harvinder Kaur were adept and athletic often catching the eye with some quick runs and smooth passing. Karamjit played the role of a pivot to nicety while Anju proved her class as a good long shooter.

The deep defenders too gave a good performance and rarely allowed space to their rivals. Once the hosts shot into the lead, they never looked back and closed the match at 41-26 after leading 14-11 at half time. Karamjit (20) and Harvinder (10) were the top scorers for the winners.

In the match to decide the third and fourth places Haryana ran up a sizeable lead against Madhya Pradesh emerging triumphant at 20-8.

Earlier, in their last league match, which turned out to be a bad advertisement for competitive hockey, Punjab trounced J&K 14-0.

The winners, lead by the
irresistible Amandeep (Sr), raced to a huge 7-0 lead in the first half itself and so pronounced was Punjab’s dominance that they pumped in 7 more goals virtually reducing the second half to farcical proportions.

Punjab will now square of with Delhi for a place in the final while Chandigarh take on Orissa in the other semifinal slated to be played tomorrow.

Delhi beat Chandigarh 2-1 to garner the gold in tennis while Karnataka downed Orissa 2-0 to be placed third.

BRIEFLY

MAC ground
under covers
CHENNAI: With rain clouds looming large over the October 23 match here between India and New Zealand, the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) has taken unprecedented precautions to ensure that the playing area at the MA Chidambaram Stadium does not get wet, even if it were to rain heavily.
Following the onset of the north-east monsoon, the city has been experiencing rains for the last two days, and the weather office has forecast more rains for the next 24 hours.
Not taking a chance, the TNCA has put about 90 per cent of the outfield under tarpaulin covers.
— UNI

Youhana out
LAHORE: Pakistan stand-in captain Yousuf Youhana was ruled out on Tuesday of the second Test against South Africa due to a hamstring injury, starting from Friday.

Youhana led Pakistan to an eight-wicket victory against the Proteas, but the doctors have advised him rest for at least two weeks to recover from the injury.
Inzamam-ul Haq, who was sidelined from the first Test due to a hamstring injury, returns to lead the side in Faisalabad Test.
— AP

Easy draw
JAIPUR: India’s third seeded Abhinn Shyam Gupta has an easy round till the semifinal stage before facing second seed Kay Bin Yeoh of Malaysia seeded second in the men’s singles draw of the sixth Indian Oil Indian Asian Satellite Badminton Championships which gets underway here from Wednesday.

Abhinn Shyam, who is ranked No 57 in the world, is hopping to qualify for the Athens Olympic collecting as many points as possible in this championship.
He has earned a bye in the first round and then there are Ho Hee Teck Gerald ranked 133 and Kuan Beng Hong -ranked 100 on his way to the quarterfinals. The Indian national champion would then face possibly the second seed Yeoh Kay Bin of Malaysia in the semifinal, ranked 35 in the world.
— UNI